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Month: April 2014

We had a very positive route planning meeting last night via Skype and clarified a large proportion of the route and also the involvement of different people. I will update the route page this week with a proposed set of dates and places but it’s starting to come together nicely. We have 3 people who will be joining us at different stages during the ride. Vladimir and Christian will join us at the start of the leg from Denmark and hopefully tag along for the first week or so, Arvid will join us for the last 5 or 6 days in southern Norway, meeting us in “Hell” as we head back to Denmark. These guys have been very helpful with their local knowledge and experience, not to mention sorting out a hire bike for Gregg who is flying in from the USA for the ride.

If you have a noticeboard at work, at a sports club you attend, at a biker café or anywhere you think might get peoples attention then please download the Dash4Dosh flyer PDF file below, print off a copy and stick it up!!

So today I popped into Infinity Motorcycles in Norwich to have a look around the bike gear and see if they would mind putting up a flyer for the Dash4Dosh trip. I pop in there from time to time, it’s a good shop with a good range of goods and friendly staff! Lydia who is the manager there was really interested in the trip and immediately offered to donate some cash for the cause and put the flyer up next to the coffee machine where most people hang out! She has also asked me to send her an electronic copy of the flyer so she can upload it to their Facebook page! As Bill and Ted would have said… EXCELLENT!!

Lydia Mcclintock, apologies for the blurry camera phone pic! Lydia is a keen biker along with her Husband. After I left today she was going straight to meet her husband, jump in a van and drive up to do a track day at Cadwell Park tomorrow!

Steve McDonagh is a talented artist, a kooky guy and very funny. He is also one of the founders of the Dander4Dosh team and has been walking for charity along with like minded friends over the last few years. The Dander4Dosh walks were an inspiration for the Dash4Dosh bike ride we are now planning.

During our quest to produce a logo Steve kindly “knocked up” one and posted it on our Facebook page and what a great logo it is. Today I received a copy of the original file to play with and I’ve modified the quote and the added the actual dates of the trip. Nice job Steve!

It’s now just under a month until the start date of this epic adventure and there are still many unknowns and lots of things to organise. This weekend some of the guys are meeting up in Ireland to discuss the route and I will hopefully join them on Skype, sadly not being able to attend myself after twisting my ankle last week! I’ve not been able to get much riding done over the last two weeks really and that needs to change so I will be hoping to get a couple of over night camping sessions in over the next few weeks to try out the packing and unpacking of the bike. Having never toured or carried luggage on the bike before I’m expecting a bit of a learning curve.

Whilst we are on the topic of the bike, it’s clear that my old bike is not the ideal steel horse for this trip due to the riding position. I have been waiting to receive some money that was coming my way and as of today that has arrived so I am hoping to invest in a more suitable bike for the trip as soon as possible, watch this space!

Ticks are a problem in Norway it seems and I don’t mean those caused by Tourette Syndrome. I mean those nasty little critters that bite you and pass nasty diseases on to you like Encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis, neither of which you want to catch.

It is recommended that you use insect repellents containing 25-50% DEET, which are apparently widely available in stores in Norway. If you do have a tick, you can leave it in the skin or remove it in a twisting motion with vegetable oil – but either way, visit a doctor or medical centre in as quickly as possible.

I am now thinking of buying one of these bio suits to wear during the trip!

So I’m hoping that shortly I will have enough money to buy a more suitable bike for the trip. I know the CBR would likely make the journey, let’s be honest Honda’s are pretty bulletproof, but I’m not sure my wrists and back will make it in the CBR. So I have been looking around for options and there are plenty in the tourer and adventure tourer classes of bikes. The important factors for me are reliability and economy and those things have driven my research.

Bikes such as the BMW GS range, Honda Varadero, Honda Transalp, Suzuki DL650/DL1000 all came up as considerations but 2 bikes have stood out as likely candidates, the BMW f650GS and Honda NC700x. Neither bike is designed for speed but that’s not important when you are touring, comfort, economy and ability to carry what you need are what is important. Sure if I wanted to travel the world then a BMW R1200 might be a better choice but bother the f650 and Nc700 offer good reliability, comfort and 60+ mpg.

So I’ll be looking out for one of those over the next couple of weeks, ideally kitted with panniers and top box.

So I managed to get a few more bits for the trip fairly cheaply including a camping pillow, some dry bags, thermals, a head torch (which actually looks pretty silly stuck on my head but is practical!) and a travel towel.